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(No Model.)

B. LANE.

BRIDLE.

No. 582,533. Patented May l-l, 1897! Eda/ inzane, WITNESSES [/V'VEJVZ'OQ v Q Q Z522,

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UNITED STATES PATENT GFEIcE.

EDXVIN LANE, OF JOHNSTOYN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF THREE- FOURTHS TO THOMAS J. FEARL, OF SAME PLACE.

B R l D L E SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 582,533, dated May 1 1, 1897.

Application filed February 13, 1897. Serial No. 623,236. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWIN LANE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at J ohnstown, in the county of Cambria and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Broom and Brush Bri'dles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable.others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and'to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in broom and brush bridles, the object being to provide a simple, cheap, and effective'bridle or clamp which can be readily attached to brooms and brushes for binding the brush portion together below the permanent fastenings; also, to provide a bridle which can be adjusted upon the broom or brush and which may be used when desired to hold a cloth over the brush end of the broom, so that the same may be used as a mop, the structure also providing loops by which the broom may be suspended from a nail or hook.

With the above ends in view my invention consists in a broom or brush bridle having two bails the ends of which engage with bars having eyes and elongated loops, the upper ends of said bars constructed to engage with the broom-handle, so that when in engagement therewith the broom-straws will be drawn together, the construction providing means for adjusting the bails to or from the permanent fastenings and retaining the bridle upon the broom by spring-pressure, which arises from the forcing together of the straws of the broom and is transmitted to the locking-bars of the bridle, Whichare thereby held in engagement with the handle.

The invention further consists in the construction and combination of parts as will be hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings which illustrate the invention, Figure 1 is a side view showing the bridle applied. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the bridle detached. Fig. 3 is a perspective view,

' and Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the upper ends of the locking bars or levers.

In the accompanying drawings, A designates a broom, and B my improved bridle therefor. The bridle is made up of four pieces of strong wire of suitable gage, which pieces are permanently connected together, so that when removed from the broom they cannot become separated from each other,.

which is a very desirable feature, as the article will be sold separately from the broom.

O 0 refer to bails the ends of which are formed into eyes 0 and c for engagement with the locking-bars D D, said bails being bent so as to lie over the straws of the broom, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The locking-bars D D are bent upon themselves to form eyes d d, with which the eyes 0 of the bails engage to form pivotal connection between the parts. Below the eyes (Z d the wires forming the locking-bars are formed into loops d d, and the eyes 0 c of the bails engage with the member of the loops which extends directly from the eyes 0 c, the other member, which is an integral part of the locking-bar, being bent so as to lie parallel therewith, the terminals lying beneath the eyes cl, so as to be protected by the bend or turn which forms the same. The construction shown is such that one end of each of the bails forms a fulcrum for one of the looking-bars, and the other end of the opposite bail is held in sliding engagement with end of the locking-bar, so that the compression of the broom by the bails will tend to throw the upper ends of the locking levers or bars in a direction to engage with the broom-handle.

The upper ends of the locking bars or 1evers D D are bent to form open loops diwhich are adapted to encircle or straddle the handle of the broom or brush, one loop d engaging with one side of the handle and the other loop with the other side.

To apply the device to a broom, the parts are placed in such position that they are substantially on a line with each other, and in this position they are passed over the handle of the broom and upon the broom until the bails are in the desired place thereon. The

locking bars or levers are then moved toward the handle, which movement will cause the bails to be drawn toward each other and will compress the straws, the compression being equal to the length of the loops on each side of the broom, and the pressure caused by the compression of the straws or corn of the broom will be transmitted to the locking-bars below the fulcrum thereof and will hold the upper ends of the locking-bars in engagement with the handle. The locking bars or levers also engage with the swell of the broom, which will assist in preventing lateral movement of the bars.

The construction of the parts is such that the bridle can be adjusted as desired, and the loops 61 provide convenient means for suspending the broom, handle down, from a nail or hook.

It will also be noted that the bridle exerts an equal pressure on each side of the broom and is not a permanent attachment thereto. The device also provides a convenient clothholder, the cloth being placed over the lower .end of the broom and passed beneath the bail,

so as to be held upon the broom in the usual manner, when it is desired to use the broom as a mop for cleaning windows, &c.

The bridle will be manufactured in different sizes for brooms and whisk-brushes, as well as for paint-brushes, and when used with brushes made of bristles the bails will be shaped to conform with the configuration of a horizontal section of the brush, and in 0011- nection with the bridle for paint-brushes I may use an interior plug of the ordinary type.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. A broom or brush bridle consisting of a pair of bails, the terminals being formed into eyes; a pair of locking-bars having eyes or fulcrums and loops below the eyes or fulcrums, for the purpose set forth.

2. A broom or brush bridle consisting of a pair of bails, with terminal eyes, a pair of locking-bars with elongated end loops, and adjacent thereto eyes, the other ends of the locking-bars being bent to engage opposite sides of the handle, substantially as shown and for the purpose set forth.

3. A broom or brush bridle consisting of a pair of bars, and a pair of bails connected so that each of the bars will be fulcrumed on one end of each of the bails, the other end of the bails being held in sliding engagement with the bars below the fulcrums, the bars above the fulcrums having the ends bent, substantially as shown and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I a-fiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDYVIN LANE. \Vitnesses:

FREDERICK MILLER, HUGH MELAY. 

